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Two stages, one message: Europe needs sovereignty
Digital sovereignty is a key topic across various industries. At two events, Gernot Hofstetter shows that Europe's digital independence starts now.
This week, Gernot Hofstetter took the stage at two very different events — and rarely has the breadth of today’s transformation debates become so visible.
Two stages, two worlds, and one topic connecting them all: digital sovereignty.
This week our co-CEO Gernot Hofstetter took the stage on two very different platforms.
Two industries, two languages, two realities, and yet a common nerve center.
Between cloud strategies, municipal planning, energy issues, and AI governance, one thing became clear:
The debate about digital sovereignty now connects areas that previously had little to do with one another.
Stage 1: kiwiko x comTeam: where the channel discusses the future
At the kiwiko partner meeting, he spoke in the closing talk with Sandra Balz about digital sovereignty. Between massive hyperscaler investments, new, largely still unknown European alternatives, and the question of how much sovereignty customers really want today, one thing became clear:
The demand is there. The moment is now.
Irina Rosensaft's talk about cybersecurity alliances showed the tensions in the market, from "Who is supposed to pay for this?" to "How do we do this together?".
And that's exactly where the opportunity lies:
Sovereignty does not emerge as a standalone project, but in partnership.
Stage 2: PLENBA: a completely different world, a completely similar problem
On Thursday it continued, this time at the invitation of HOCHTIEF at the PLENBA congress: planners, construction, administration, politics. Schools, cities, real estate, heat planning, digitalization.
An environment that at first glance has nothing to do with cloud …
… and on closer inspection everything.
In Bernd Pütter's keynote, it became clear how profoundly infrastructure is currently changing: the "transformational property data center" is becoming the pivot between urban development, energy supply, and digital future readiness.
The discussion showed:
The power bottleneck in Frankfurt
The desire for independence from hyperscalers
Mandatory municipal heat planning
… all of this acts like an accelerator for new, regional, sustainable infrastructures.
The conclusion after two intense days:
Whether in the channel or the construction and municipal sector, the same question arises everywhere:
How do we create a digital infrastructure that is high-performing, but makes Europe more independent?
The answers differ depending on the industry. The need does not.
Digital sovereignty is not a buzzword, it is an infrastructure project.
And it starts right now.
Thank you to all partners, hosts, and participants for the open exchange and the inspiring insights.
